Music and Medicine Conference
“Music and Medicine” is the topic of a one-day conference hosted by the Irish World Academy in association with the Graduate Medical School, University of Limerick on Saturday, June 6th. There is a… Continue reading
You never think it will be you. You go about your days making plans, imagining futures, dreaming ordinary dreams. Life feels steady, predictable. And then it isn’t. One phone call. One scan. One… Continue reading
In 1948, two French scientists noticed something unexpected in their lab samples: fragments of DNA drifting in blood plasma. At the time, the discovery seemed trivial, even puzzling. DNA, after all, was supposed… Continue reading
You’ve likely heard people talk about “chemo brain”—or maybe you’ve even felt it yourself. It’s that foggy sensation that can make it tough to find the right word, recall a friend’s name, or… Continue reading
So few grains of happiness measured against all the dark and still the scales balance. – Jane Hirshfield “The Weighing” I’ve been reflecting on these lines from Jane Hirshfield’s poem The Weighing and how its… Continue reading
In many cultures, greetings are often seen as polite and routine exchanges. However, in some Muslim cultures, there exists a profound dimension to these everyday interactions. When someone asks, “How are you?” in… Continue reading
I discovered that today, September 16th is ‘Tattoo Story Day’. While I am not sure if this is a day that’s universally marked, it gives me the prompt I need to tell the… Continue reading
Checking my August Awareness Day Calendar, I discovered that today, August 30th is designated as Grief Awareness Day. Sometimes I feel we are awash with grief in our community. Not just in our… Continue reading
Are you looking for a new job after cancer treatment? Perhaps you left your last employment after your diagnosis, or maybe you are still in your current job but want a fresh start… Continue reading
“In a society which is much more inclined to help you hide your pain rather than to grow through it, is necessary to make a very conscious effort to mourn.” – Henri Nouwen Grief… Continue reading
T for this week’s round-up of the best of the blog posts which I’ve read over the past week. These are the posts that have moved me, taught me something, inspired me, and which I’ve wanted to share with you. Don’t forget if you have written a post which you would like readers to see, just […]
The Thing Is to love life, to love it evenwhen you have no stomach for itand everything you’ve held dearcrumbles like burnt paper in your hands,your throat filled with the silt of it.When… Continue reading
The Butterfly Effect For Marie Ennis O’Connor So close and still Quietly far away From the company Who chose you The day you heard The word we all Heard. Echoes In a canyon… Continue reading
26 posts. 26 days. 26 letters of the alphabet, one blog post beginning with each letter. H is for Hair I started this blog a few years after my breast cancer diagnosis and… Continue reading
“Music and Medicine” is the topic of a one-day conference hosted by the Irish World Academy in association with the Graduate Medical School, University of Limerick on Saturday, June 6th. There is a… Continue reading
Thanks to the time and talent of some very generous artists, Sharinghope.tv, an initatitive of the American Cancer Society is able to provide a few tunes for you to use free of charge.… Continue reading
A new study has found that women following a diagnosis of breast cancer conveyed a unique description of loneliness that was termed survivor loneliness. They described how they felt alone in the awareness of mortality and… Continue reading
A Massachusetts Institute of Technology team says it has created the first implantable device that can continuously monitor cancer growth. Surgical removal of a tissue sample, a procedure known as a biopsy, is… Continue reading
Immediately after my treatment for breast cancer, I manifested all the symptoms of an early menopause – hot flushes and all. Thankfully, it proved to be temporary for me, lasting about 8 or… Continue reading
I have written about managing the fear of recurrence here before and of how it is most potent when it is time for my annual follow up with the hospital. The shock of that day… Continue reading
Researchers have identified a genetic signature that can predict an improved clinical outcome in patients with breast cancer, and which could help in the development of new targeted therapies. By analysing the expression… Continue reading
“Farrah’s Story” is as much about becoming aware of our own mortality as it is seeing a cultural icon fight the disease. If one of the most vibrant celebrities of a generation can… Continue reading
The actress, Gwyneth Paltrow has said on her website that she believes that using shampoo could lead to cancer, after reading research about what she calls the ‘environmental toxins’ allegedly found in these products.… Continue reading